Get to know some of our #VillanovaHRD students! | #VUHRDStory
The students in the #VillanovaHRD program come from different backgrounds, different industries, different locations, and have different career goals. The one thing they share in common is a passion to make work better for the employees they serve and the organizations they are a part of. Here are the stories of nine students from the program who are giving back to Villanova through their service to the program. These students are members of our Online Student Advisory Council and our Graduate Assistants working in the HRD office. These students are serving the HRD program through outreach to students. They help the Villanova HRD program by providing student-focused advice to our current and prospective students and feedback to our administrators and faculty. These students are available if you ever have a question or want to get the perspective of a current student. Villanova HRD is extremely lucky to have the support of these groups.
First, meet our Online Student Advisory Council: Emily, James, Lauren, and Jessica. Here are their VUHRD Stories, #VUHRDStory!
EMILY VALENCIA
Hi everyone! My name is Emily Valencia and I am an active duty Human Resources Officer in the United States Army. I am originally from a small town named Hebron in Connecticut where my family still resides. I graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering in 2016. Since then I have served over three years in three different positions in 4th Infantry Division while stationed out of Fort Carson, Colorado. I currently live with my loving husband, Raoul, and our baby pet conure, Cocoa. I am so excited to continue this rewarding program with all of you! Go Nova!
To contact Emily: evalen05@villanova.edu.
JAMES LIPSTREAU
My name is James Lipstreu and I'm born and raised in North Carolina and currently reside in Greensboro, NC. I have been married for 11 years and have twin boys who are 5 years old and have the nicknames of "crash and boom." In 2004, I achieved a bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I have a total of 16 years in the HR field in many capacities across the automotive, transportation, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, robotics, and engineering industries. I love what I do! I have a passion for HR and believe in contributing to another's success. More importantly, I believe in leadership through servitude. I have 4 core values that I use in my personal and professional setting: building strong relationships, focusing on growth, making an impact, and being positive. I'm currently the Sr. Director of US HR Shared Services for a global Robotics and Engineering solutions company, ABB Inc. I have 45 employees overseeing onboarding, immigration, global mobility, compliance, compensation & benefits, payroll, HR controlling, HR project management, and employee life cycle management. We provide HR services for 25K employees in the US and are continuing to grow. I aspire to be a CHRO or Sr. VP of HR of a global conglomerate that truly makes this world a better place, and know this program will help me get there! Fun fact about me: I grew up on an Arabian horse farm and have a passion for horses. Also, I love the beach because it’s a place where one story ends and a new journey begins.
To contact James: jlipstre@villanova.edu.
LAUREN GONZALEZ
Hi everyone! I'm Lo and I am born and raised in Dallas, TX. I received my B.S. in Psychology and Philosophy from Southern Methodist University. I am currently a Senior HR Generalist at the Dallas/Plano Marriott with 3 years of experience in the Human Resources field. I love the flexibility Villanova's HRD program offers me, but the biggest gain has been the relationships I have developed with my classmates. I am grateful to be a part of such an amazing program. Go wildcats!
To contact Lo: lgonza10@villanova.edu.
JESSICA CAREY
My name is Jessica Carey and I live in Moseley, VA (just a tad south of Richmond). I'm a wife to one and mom to two (one two-legged human and one four-legged feline). I work at Virginia Commonwealth University/VCU Health System in the Department of Surgery as the HR Coordinator. In the words of my seven-year-old daughter, I spend my days making surgeons be nice to each other.
This amazing program at Villanova has been a life-changing experience for me. Not only am I working toward a really awesome degree but I'm able to immediately use and apply the concepts and principles I am learning in each class in my current role; throw in the fact that I'm showing my daughter we can do anything we set our minds to! Villanova makes it so convenient to pursue a degree while working full time and mom-ing full time too! The advisors are amazing and the instructors truly care about student success. I'm forever grateful to be a part of this incredible program.
To contact Jessica: jcarey11@villanova.edu.
Next, meet our campus Graduate Assistants: Kelly, Hong, Cameron, Brittany and Jennie. Here are their VUHRD Stories, #VUHRDStory!
KELLY MAGUIRE
I am originally from outside of Boston, MA. I am a 2018 Villanova grad, where I studied Psychology and Communications. I am thrilled to be back on campus as a Graduate Assistant and student in the HRD program! My interest in HR developed after completing an internship where I gained experience in talent acquisition, training and development, and onboarding practices. I really enjoyed the people-facing aspect of the work and found it to be extremely rewarding and energizing. I am looking forward to developing a well-rounded understanding of the HR field, and am also excited to assist with HR-related research as a GA. I am hoping to learn and experience as much as I can in these next two years with HRD!
To contact Kelly: kmaguir8@villanova.edu.
HONG VO
I am Hong and am currently a graduate assistant in the program. I am originally from Vietnam. I got my B.A in HRM at Lancaster University in the UK. I decided to join the HRD program last year after working in the field of labor for a few years. I’m so happy with the decision to take a career break and choose Villanova as my education destination. After one year in the program, I feel that I have improved my knowledge in HR, especially diversity and inclusion, and I had chances to meet great people, including my professors. It is so great that the Villanova HRD program provides me with both a master degree and a certificate of my choice. Although my area of HR interest is training and development, I plan to get the HR business partner certificate to learn more about compensation and benefits. I strongly recommend Villanova HRD program for its variety of classes and certificates, and its flexibility to register for class throughout the year.
To contact Hong: lvo3@villanova.edu.
CAMERON KENWORTHY
Hello! My name is Cameron Kenworthy, I am a second year graduate student and Graduate Assistant in the HRD program. I'm originally from Hagerstown, Maryland and moved to Philadelphia to further my academic career. I earned my B.S. from St. Joseph's University in Psychology with a minor in Managing Human Capital. I've had internships with companies such as Comcast-Spectacor and KIPP Philadelphia Schools, and I'd really like to help organizations become more diverse and inclusive. In my spare time, I love to explore downtown Philadelphia and spend time with my girlfriend and beagle puppy.
To contact Cameron: ckenwort@villanova.edu.
BRITTANY CHAPMAN
Hi! I am originally from Brick, NJ and moved to the Villanova community in August 2018. I worked as a recruiter for a staffing agency for a year prior to starting the HRD program, and currently work part-time as an HR Specialist for a telecommunications company in the Philadelphia area. I am also a graduate assistant in the Villanova HRD program. I love to cook, shop, workout, and travel to all places near and far!
To contact Brittany: bchapma2@villanova.edu.
JENNIE KILLEBREW
Hi! I am originally from Birmingham, AL where I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in 2017 with a B.S. in Psychology. I lived in Atlanta, GA for two years post-undergrad and worked in multiple sectors including sales, accounting, and hospitality. I kept drifting towards the HR professionals at these organizations and finally decided to join the field after learning about the rewards/challenges of HR. I wanted to pursue a Master's in the HRD program to jumpstart my career and fully immerse myself in the field. I love living in Philadelphia and being able to experience a new part of the country with my fiancé and my dog.
To contact Jennie: vkillebr@villanova.edu.
Thank you to these students for their service to the Villanova HRD program!
To download your own #VillanovaHRD sign, click here! Be sure to share your picture and tag us on social media, @VillanovaHRD! We love to see our students #VillanovaHRD pride! Go Nova!
